Distance
by BeyondxBroken
Summary: Why did this happen? And why to me?
1. The Change In You

"_**DISTANCE"**_

A/N: (Sadly) I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist and any of its contents. Yada-yada… Hope you guys like this purely-made fanfic. Don't forget to comment and review in every chance you get! I'd really appreciate it!

Chapter 1: The Change in You

"We've been stuck here for 2 years, Ed. Don't you think it's time you found a plan of getting us out of here?" Amy asked, sitting up straight in a dining chair. She and Ed were eating breakfast that moment, sitting on opposite sides of the table.

Amy was 16 years old, 1 year younger than Ed. She is slender in shape, average in height and is a beauty in a way. She has straight, dark brown, shoulder-lengthed hair which she always leaves flowing down, a pair of black, mysterious eyes, a slightly rounded face and fair skin.

"Hey, I did say I was going to get us back right?" Ed answered back, chewing a piece of sliced sausage.

It was an average, sunny morning at Munich, Germany. As a daily routine, they both got up early for different reasons. Amy's is for her studies at a nearby university, and she often wonders what Ed does during the day. They both shared an apartment with Alphonse Heiderich, a 17 year old German who Ed bumped into on his way to Hermanns Obert. They all got along pretty well and Ed decided to study rocketry with him in order to get back to his and Amy's world.

"Well, who got me stuck here anyways, huh?" She demanded, standing up and glaring at Ed.

Amy was good friends with Ed and Al during their journey. She met them at Xenotime together with Russell and Fletcher. She wanted to learn more about alchemy and pleaded that she help them find the legendary Philosopher's Stone. She, herself was an alchemist before but unfortunately, same with Ed, she lost her powers when she got sucked to another world in an accident. When Ed sacrificed his whole body and soul in exchange for Al's life, as did Amy as well, unconsciously.

"Well then, who was beside my brother during the transmutation, huh? No one else but you. Do you think I like being stuck here with you, of all people?!" Ed retorted, angered by Amy's sudden outburst.

"Oh, so that's how you feel, well then, don't worry, I can just easily take care of myself." Amy said, getting up from the table and heading for the door.

"Where are you going now?" Ed said, sternly, standing up.

"What do you care?" Amy said, slamming the door in Ed's face.

"Ughh…" Ed said, holding up one hand to his forehead.

"Hey, what happened? I heard someone slam the door." Alphonse Heiderich asked, holding his coat on his right arm, apparently he just got out from his room. The Alphonse from this world resembled Ed's younger brother a lot. No wonder they got off at a good start. He even thinks of Alphonse as his younger brother sometimes.

"You really have a good timing." Ed said, getting back to his seat in the table.

"Is that supposed to be a bad thing?" Alphonse said, taking Amy's seat.

"No, not really." He answered, relaxing himself by breathing in and out.

"It's…Amy isn't it?" Alphonse asked slowly.

"Ughh! Don't mention that woman's name now!" He said, getting hysterical.

"Woah, okay, sure. I'll not mention…her name right now." Alphonse said, holding back a stifled laugh. "But seriously, what happened?"

"Um, some kind of argument again. I really don't want to talk about it though." Ed said, finishing his food.

"Oh, that's alright. This's her food right? She didn't even touch it." Alphonse said, pointing to Amy's plate in front of him.

"She probably didn't have the appetite for it." Ed said, getting up.

"You know her to well." Alphonse commented.

"Too well to begin to hate her…" Ed mumbled.

"Anyways, where are you headed today?" Alphonse said, putting a plate over Amy's untouched food.

"Oh, probably just another walk around town. How about you?" Ed asked, getting his coat from the nearby rack.

"The usual as well. It's a Sunday after all." Alphonse said, getting up as well. "What about Amy? Where's she headed to?" He continued, putting on his coat.

"I don't care." Ed grumbled.

"Ed, don't be like that. Even if you dislike her, you could at least care about her a bit." Alphonse reasoned.

"Well, maybe a bit. But I'm not gonna look for her."

"Fine, I'll go look for her, I might bump into her along the way." Alphonse said, putting on his coat.

"Oh, I read on the morning paper that the carnival's in town." Ed recalled.

"Ya, I know. We're gonna have a demonstration of the operational rocket tomorrow afternoon. You want to come?" Alphonse offered, opening the front door.

"Sure, I guess it won't hurt to tag along." Ed said, putting on his coat as well.

"Do you think Amy would want to come?"

"Why do you keep mentioning her?!" Ed said, getting annoyed already.

"Sheesh… I just asked…" Alphonse said, getting out of the room.

"That idiot…" Amy mumbled, kicking a pebble on the ground.

She just reached the bottom of the apartment and exited through the main door. She was now walking towards anywhere she would please. On her usual morning walks though, she always passes by Gracia's flower shop.

Ever since the time Amy and Ed ended up there in this world, she came to befriend Gracia and even sometimes thinks of her as a loving mother she never had.

"Amy! Good morning! Are you having a nice stroll today?" Gracia asked, carrying a large bouquet of beautiful roses accompanied by a smile.

"Hey, Gracia." Amy responded, with a forced smile, entering the small flower-scented shop.

"Oh, I know that face; you had one of those fights again, right?" She said, acting once more like a mother.

"Ha, how'd you guess?" Amy said, raising one eyebrow.

"Oh, just motherly instincts." Gracia laughed.

"But you're not even a mother yet!"

"Oh, don't worry. If it's about you, Alphonse and Ed, I pretty much feel like a mother already." She said, giving her one of her warm smiles.

"Ugh, well it was his entire fault in the first place! Starting a fight out of nothing!" Amy said.

Letting out a huge sigh, Gracia responded.

"You two really don't seem to get along with each other, especially lately. Have you ever tried _talking_ for once? You know, heart to heart?" Gracia said, pointing to her heart.

"What good would _that_ do? It's not as if Ed would even listen."

"You have no idea how much talking can close wounds. He might even be willing to change if you gave him a chance." Gracia smiled, putting the bouquet in a nearby vase.

"I'll give it a try, but I'm not making any promises!" Amy said, giving a slight wave as she exited the small shop.

"Oh, Amy!" Gracia called out. "The carnival's in town! Why don't you visit it? Just don't forget to bring a car, it's pretty far out!"

"Thanks Gracia!" Amy turned back, hearing the suggestion.

'_Since I can't drive yet, why not let Ed do it for me, once we've settled everything?'_ She thought happily, remembering her past adventures in Amestris as she walked back towards the apartment, hoping Ed hasn't left yet.

"This is just great, I should have overslept." Ed yawned.

"By doing that, we would have just left you alone, then!" Alphonse joked, standing beside Ed.

"Oh, well. Where're you headed to?" Ed asked Alphonse.

"Not really sure. What place _can_ we go to? We've been to almost everywhere in this country already."

"Well then, why don't we check out your spot there at the carniv— "

"Ed! Alphonse!" A voice called out from behind.

"I'd recognize that voice anywhere." Alphonse smiled, turning around.

"Amy!" Ed called out.

"Ha, how are you. Hey, sorry about my sudden outburst a while ago, truce?" Amy whispered to Ed, once she reached their place.

Heaving a huge sigh, Ed responded.

"Truce." He smiled, reaching out his hand for Amy to shake it. _'I really don't know how she even forgives me.'_

"I'm glad you guys are okay now." Alphonse said.

"Well, I really just followed a suggestion from Gracia." She said, smiling warmly at him.

"So, where are you headed to Amy?" Ed asked.

"Um, Gracia suggested that I visit the carnival. Is there really a carnival in town?" She asked.

"So it said in the paper this morning, we were even about to go there as well. You want to come along? I'll drive, if you want." Ed offered.

"U-Um…sure?" Amy stammered, not used to the new Ed in front of her. _'Maybe Gracia _was _right about him changing!'_

"Wow this is new." Alphonse laughed.

"Is it that rare?" Amy smiled, looking at him.

"Well, frankly…yes."

"Sheesh…" Amy laughed, punching his left arm playfully.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

"G'morning Al, just woke up, I see." Winry laughed, seeing Al descend the stairs of the Rockbell house still groggy, from obvious lack of sleep.

"Good morning, Winry. Where's Aunt Pinako?" Al said, rubbing his eyes while looking around the living room.

"Oh, she just went into town to find some auto mail parts. She'll be right back but she ate already just before she left." She said, setting the table.

Wearing an ordinary sleeveless shirt and a pair of pants, it was obvious that she wasn't heading to anywhere important.

"Oh, that's alright." Al yawned.

"You seem extra tired today. What's up with you?" Winry asked.

"Oh, I had that dream again." Al said, helping Winry with the table.

"Al…" Winry said, looking at him with worried eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Just forget that I mentioned about it." Al said, giving her a considerate smile.

Ever since the day Ed was brought to another world, Winry has been always worrying about him. It's like he's still carrying her beloved auto mail. It's either that or she cares for him deeply even though they're far apart from each other.

"No, I was actually going to ask you to tell me the dream once more." She said, taking a seat at the table. "How'd it go again?" She smiled.

"You sure you want to hear it?" Al asked. "I mean, you know… Won't it be a bit painful on your part?" He said, sitting opposite her.

"I'm sure. It sounds almost believable, and it's been repeating this whole week! You don't think—"

"It might come true?" Al finished for her.

"Well, I don't really believe in those kinds of sayings, but it's worth hoping for." She said, smiling.

Breathing a sigh of comfort, he once again related the dream.

"It went like this: We were once again at this strange place that I've never been to in my life yet. Brother was right beside me, so was—"

"Amy?" Winry asked slowly.

"Y-Ya. She was there as well, standing beside me. We all seemed so happy. It's like I could really feel the happiness that surrounded us. I remember something bad or evil happening but was able to be stopped right on time."

Winry giggled at the last statement.

"What's so funny?" Al asked, smiling embarrassingly.

"It's just that, you two are just the same. You and Ed always seem to think that every bad guy is your responsibility and you end up hunting them down and stopping their evil plots." She said, laughing a bit.

"Ha-ha," Al laughed. "Anyways, that's pretty much it. Every night, I fall asleep thinking of Brother and how he is, and every morning, I wake up seeing him and Amy right beside me. It's as if, they never even left us." He smiled, looking at a nearby picture of him and Ed with their very first catch.

"I hope that would really come true, Al." She reached out, comfortingly holding his hand. "For both you and me."

"I hope so too, Winry. I really wish I could see Ed and Amy again. In person, that is." Al said, starting to eat breakfast.

"Don't worry Al, I have a very strong feeling we'll be able to someday." Winry said, releasing her grip on his hand and starting to eat as well.

"Oh, Winry, I might be going to Lior sometime later." Al told her.

"That's alright. For what reason?"

"Oh nothing really. I just want to check on something. I also want to go on a little adventure again." He smiled.


	2. Some Secrets are Better Kept Unrevealed

A/N: First of all, thanks aquatic blue for commenting on the first chappie, and yup, I've made this next one a bit longer so… go on and read! Oh, and no flames, 'kay?

Chapter 2: Some Secrets Are Better Kept Unrevealed

"It's _this_ far away?" Amy complained, getting out of the rented car.

"Ya, it _is_ pretty far away. I guess that's why not much people are here yet." Ed said, looking around at the huge space.

When they reached the place, it was already several hours past lunch time.

"I wonder how it would go tomorrow…" Alphonse wondered, with a slight tone of worry in his voice.

"Oh, don't worry Alphonse, from how the released book of Mr. Obert sold, I bet there would be a huge crowd here tomorrow." Ed smiled.

"Yeah, don't worry about it. It'll surely go well, for sure." Amy said, smiling.

"You won't be able to go though, Amy." Ed said, looking at her.

"Huh? Why not?" She asked. "I really want to see the demonstration!"

"School." Both boys answered.

Cursing under her breath, she answered.

"Damn, can't I be absent for just one day, please Ed!" She pleaded.

"You have got to be kidding me! You have a quiz tomorrow, remember?" Ed said, laughing.

"Oh my god…"

"What?" Alphonse asked.

"I—"

"She forgot to study—again…" Ed smiled.

"I did not! I just…need to review more." She lied.

"Yeah, right." Ed laughed.

"Great… This'll just cause another fight…" Alphonse mumbled, turning away from them.

"Yes, right!" She countered. "But seriously, do I have a quiz tomorrow?"

"So it said on your diar—" Ed started. "Oops…"

"You read my diary?!" Amy screamed, causing Alphonse to look at them bicker again.

"Ed? You read her diary?" Alphonse asked, laughing.

"Hey, I didn't mean to! I just found it lying around on her bedside table! It was lying there opened so… I took a little peek—"

His sentence was interrupted when Amy punched him HARD on his left cheek.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, WOMAN?!" Ed screamed.

"I knew this wouldn't last long…" Alphonse mumbled.

"For reading my diary, idiot!" She countered.

As they continued to bicker, lots of heads turned and looked at them.

"This is just…great…" Alphonse sighed.

--------------------------------------------------------

"Ha…" Al sighed, as he was laying and relaxing in the green grass just outside of the Rockbell house.

"Al, when did you say you were going to Lior?" His aunt Pinako asked, carrying a huge cardboard box. She just came back from town.

"Oh, um, probably, the some days later." He said, sitting up.

"Oh, I was just wondering, you've never given up on finding Ed yet, have you?" Pinako asked in a voice, almost like a whisper.

"You know the answer to that already, Granny."

"And, that's pretty much why you've decided to start searching in Lior, am I right?"

Al just nodded in response.

"Well then, this would be just perfect!" Pinako said, putting down the box right beside Al.

"Huh? What's perfect?" Al asked, raising one eyebrow as he peeped inside the dark box.

"Well, before you and Ed burned down your house, do you think I would just let some important stuff burn along with it?" His aunt said, smiling slyly.

"So, those are Brother's stuff?" Al asked, surprised.

"Where do you think I got those pictures inside from?" She asked, pointing to the house.

"So, what's that got to do with me?"

"Here you go." She said, pulling something red from the inside of the box.

"That's—"

"Yup, that's Ed's red cape, plus the exact same copy of the shirt and pants he used to wear inside the cape."

"Granny… I can't wear those!" Al said, defensively.

"Oh, but why not? You're the same size as Ed so this would be a perfect fit on you."

Al gave the idea a bit of thought and finally decided.

"Sure, I guess it wouldn't hurt to wear them." He smiled, holding up the cape in front of him as he recalled vivid moments of him together with his Brother.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Aren't you two ever going to settle this like mature people?" Alphonse asked, looking at both Amy, who was walking at his right, and Ed, who was walking behind them.

"Come on, Alphonse, some mature people fight as well, you know." Amy reasoned.

"Not the physical type though." He smiled. "So, where'd you learn to punch like that Amy? That was pretty strong." He added, bending down to whisper to her left ear.

"Ha! Natural talent!" Amy laughed.

"Alphonse's trying to reprimand you and you say 'natural talent'?" Ed said, obviously not hearing what Alphonse whispered to Amy. "You really are something." He mumbled.

Alphonse and Amy just chuckled at what he said.

So far, they've been circling around the space being covered by the carnival and realized it was really wide. They decided to take a break from walking every once in a while.

"Listen, I'm leaving you two together here, while I check out the space where we're going to launch the rocket." Alphonse said, once they stopped. "Stay here, and do me a favour, don't bicker again." He said, with a pleading look on his face.

"Ugh, what an impossible favour." Amy mumbled, but decided against it.

"Listen Ed, I'm going to try a method Gracia suggested, so just go along with it." Amy said, looking at Ed who was just sitting under a nearby tree.

"What method?" Ed sighed, finally giving in.

"Talking."

"Oh, that's easy. When we fight, that's when we talk." He smiled.

"Ed…" She said, with a serious look on her face.

"Fine, I'll go with it." He said, flashing her a smile.

"Thank you." She said, exhaling deeply.

-----------------------------------------------

'I knew this would work.' Alphonse thought to himself, hiding behind a tree from where he could see Ed and Amy talking from.

"Finally… Now I can see the site." He smiled to himself, as he left his spot and went directly to the centre of the whole space.

------------------------------------------------

"Well, do you really want to know why I bicker with you most of the time?" Ed asked.

"All of the time." Amy corrected.

"Fine, have it your way. _All _the time."

"Yes, I really want to know." Amy said, kneeling beside him, under the same shade of the same tree.

"Well, remember the time we met?" Ed asked, looking at her.

"Yeah, very clearly actually."

Ed just laughed suddenly.

"I remember we also met and _fought_ for the same time as well." Amy said, joining in the laugh as well.

"Ya, what a great first meeting…" He said, as they both recalled their first encounter.

"_You thief!" A 15- year old Edward Elric said, pointing to a girl about his age, or even younger._

_They were bickering right beside a little stall in Xenotime, in some kind of market place. Lots of heads turned to look at them start a shouting contest of some sort._

"_It's your fault, shrimp! I bought this fruit with my own money! _You _were the one who stole it from this stand, thinking it was yours!" The girl, apparently named Amy Tobin, accused as well, holding up the piece of fruit._

"_This is just great, the only time I decide to buy food, that's the time I bump into a brat like you!" Ed said, going hyper. "And what's with that 'shrimp' comment?!"_

"_Oh, it's something called the truth, which by the way, you know nothing of!"_

"_Stop it, Ed! Calm down, I'm sure it's just some kind of… mistake?" A huge armoured man said, holding back Ed._

"_Yes, please stop, sir." The young salesman who owned the stall pleaded, looking at Ed. "This is really going to pull down my business…" He mumbled._

"_No wait. You! This is your fault! I gave you the money, now where's the food?" Ed said, apparently coming to his senses._

"_Uh…" The salesman said, moving backward._

"_Oh, just give him the damn fruit already, to get it over and done with! Or I'll be the next one to snap at you." Amy said, threatening the man._

"_Uh, y-yes ma'am…" He said, finally handing over the fruit to Ed._

"_Ugh, finally…" Amy said, leaving the site._

"_Sheesh, Brother…" The armoured man said, looking at Ed. "You always pick the wrong people to accuse… Speaking of wrong people…" He continued, spotting Amy in the far part and running towards her, together with Ed._

"_Um… Listen, about what happened earlier—" Ed started, once they caught up to her._

"_Save it, just don't do it again." She interrupted, holding up her right hand._

"_Wait, what's your name?" He asked, holding her wrist._

"_If you'd let go of my hand, I'd tell you." She said, giving him a let-go-of-my-hand-or-I'll-kick-your-ass look._

"_Oh," He said, laughing embarrassingly. "Sorry about that."_

"_That was rude," She said, shaking her head disapprovingly. "Anyways, it's Amy. Amy Tobin"_

"_Amy…" The armoured man repeated. "That's a nice name, mine's Alphonse Elric." He introduced._

"_Ha-ha." She chuckled. "Looks really are deceiving, I thought of you as someone who doesn't care about anything in the world, speaking of looks, what are you two? Some kind of circus freaks?" She asked, looking at both of their outfits._

"_Ugh, in every town we go to, we're always called that." Alphonse said. _

"_Drop it Al," He smiled. "My name's Edward Elric, State Alchemist, I'm the older brother." He said, reaching out to her hand._

"_State Alchemist?" Amy asked, with an angry look on her face._

"_What's wrong Amy?" Alphonse asked._

"_Are you one as well?" She asked, turning to Alphonse._

"_Um, no…"_

"_Oh," She said, turning around to walk the other way._

"_Hey, wait! Why? Did I say something wrong?" Ed asked, catching up to her._

"_I don't trust those with the military." She said, in an almost whisper._

"_Hey, it's okay. I'm different." Ed said, feeling he was going to lose a friend if he didn't say anything._

"_Prove it; you don't even know what the military did with my family."_

"_You can tell us you know." Alphonse said._

"_Uh…" She said, looking at both of them with uncertain eyes._

"_Come on, it's okay. Even if I'm in the military, I joined for a different reason, and I don't really trust them 100 as well." He smiled._

"_Fine, I'll tell you two." She finally said. "They separated me from my parents. My adoptive parents live here in Xenotime. I'm very grateful for them but…"_

"_It isn't the same, right?" Alphonse asked, almost reading her thoughts._

"_R-Right. Well, that's pretty much it." She said. "Wow, that's the first time I've said that in years. Glad that got out." She smiled._

"_Ha-ha, want to be friends?" Alphonse asked._

"_Are you serious?" She asked, laughing a bit._

"_Why not?" Ed laughed. _

"_It's just that not many people here ask me to be their friend, it just seems so… new." She said, blushing a bit._

"_You mean, you don't have any friends here?" Alphonse asked her._

"_No, I mean, I have 2 great friends, there!" She said, pointing to a mansion overlooking the whole town of Xenotime. "It's just that… I'm pretty much treated as an apprentice, you see, I'm learning basic alchemy through them." She finished, feeling as though she can tell those two anything._

"_Oh, so you're an alchemist as well?" Alphonse asked._

"_Um…ya. I know it's kind of ironic for me to be an alchemist, when my parents where taken away from me by State Alchemists." She said, laughing a bit._

"_Ha-ha, it is pretty ironic. So, where do you stay—"_

"_Um, sorry to interrupt you Ed, but, it's almost sundown and I really need to go." Amy said, looking at the sun setting._

"_Um, okay, so we'll see you sometime, again?" Alphonse asked._

"_I'll really look forward to it!" She said, waving her right hand and running towards the mansion._

"_You think she lives there?" Alphonse asked his brother._

"_If she does, she must be really something." Ed smiled, heading for the opposite direction._

"That was really something, you trusted me that quick plus who knew I would be meeting you guys that same night as well?" Amy laughed.

"Not us, for sure," Ed said, laughing together with her.

"So, what's that got to do with why you always bug me?" She suddenly asked.

"Well, after all the commotion and all, you went together with us, saying you were gonna help us find the stone. Remember?"

"Of course I do, still, what's that got to do with it?" She asked, looking at him.

"We really became close friends because of that," He smiled. "That was a relief."

"Relief?" Amy laughed. "You always fought with me even back then!"

"Well, that's it, since you became close with me and Al, I always treated you as a sister, of some sort."

"So, that's why you always bicker with me!" She laughed.

"Nope, not done yet." He said. "Then there was this…incident which caused me to… Oh, never mind, it's kind of hard to explain on my part."

"It's that hard?" Amy asked, in a small voice, a bit doubtful of his answer.

"Listen," He said, avoiding her gaze. "Don't bother with it; it's just not something you can just say to everyone."

"Oh, it's…alright," She finally said, getting up. Accidentally though, her hand kind of touched Ed's left hand as well.

"Well, that's over and done with. But can we just stop this," Amy pleaded. "I'm also getting kind of tired of fighting with you every single day!"

"Um… Sure…" He answered, blushing a bit.

'_Why am I acting like this, her hand just barely touched mine!' _He thought, looking at Amy _'... But it felt so warm and… Oh, snap out of it!' _He instructed himself, shaking that strange feeling out of him. _'It was just an…accident, yup, an accident. Ugh… This is what I've been wanting to tell her ever since before…'_ He thought, standing up as well.


	3. Maybe, Maybe Not

Chapter 3: Maybe, Maybe Not.

Alphonse Elric was packing up his stuff, ready to leave any minute, heading straight to Lior by train.

"Are you sure you have _all _your stuff?" Aunt Pinako asked for the umpteenth time.

"Yea Al, and do you have enough money?" Winry asked as well.

He just sighed.

"I'm perfectly fine guys. Thanks for your concern." He smiled.

He looked just like his older brother except that he had outgrown his brown hair and tied it into a ponytail. He wore the exact same clothes Edward wore when they first set out to look for the legendary Philosopher's Stone.

He slung his oversized bag over his shoulders and waved them goodbye. He headed straight to the station in Resembool; it will take him some time to get to Lior. At least while waiting for their arrival, he can rethink what he's set out on doing.

--

"Glad that's over with." Amy laughed, together with Edward as they sat down to eat some lunch together, without Alphonse Heiderich with them. It was a really late lunch; it was about 3 in the afternoon already. And they weren't bickering. They're probably off to a good start now.

"I'll pay for it." Ed said, finishing up the chowder he ordered.

"Thanks, I was gonna offer but then you said it first. But I'll pay for the next one. I promise." She grinned. This was nice, just the 2 of them, having fun.

He just laughed in response, and asked the waiter for their check.

After he paid and gave the check back to the waiter, they sat there for several more minutes, reminiscing on the time they were still at Ametris.

"Remember the time you fell for that mad-cow disease prank Al and I did on you and you had to survive not eating meat for 2 whole weeks?" Amy was laughing really hard now that tears started pouring down her eyes.

"That was a hard time for me. And you gotta admit I did great." He smiled.

"We told you that you could eat pork or chicken but you were really staying on the safe side." She was already hurting in her stomach from laughing.

"Good times. Good times."

--

"Alphonse Elric?" The guy in the train station asked, looking at his passbook.

"Yes, that's right." He smiled as the man stamped his passbook indicating that he can get into the train and get settled. He was assigned a seat right beside the window.

"Perfect." He grinned to himself. He dropped his bag into the seat next to him and just dozed off once he heard the train start up.

--

"Hey Al," Edward called once he saw his friend over at the construction site where they were gonna hold the display.

"Hi you two, how is everything?" He asked, looking from Edward to Amy.

"Perfect." They said simultaneously.

"That's good. Did you guys go around the whole place yet? I hear it's pretty big."

"Yep, well… the fun parts only. And Ed paid for our lunch. How about you? Have you eaten lunch already?" Amy asked him.

"Yea. I was just checking around this place to make sure everything's going smoothly." He looked up at the place and smiled.

"Wow. You're so nice; you don't stop working even if it's a Sunday." Amy always admired him . In her spare time, she even helps him out with his blueprints when he brings them back to the apartment they're staying at.

"I try my best to do that." He just laughed and slung his shoulder over Amy. Amy just laughed.

"Let's head back then?" He turned and nodded to Edward who was looking up at the construction.

"Sure," Edward smiled and followed behind them.

--

Alphonse stretched and yawned when he got to Lior. He was really happy when he heard that they built a train station there already. At least he didn't need to walk all the way there like he and Ed did before.

He spotted Rose amongst the crowd in the station and waved at her. Good. She got his letter. He mailed it the day before he decided to go there.

"Thanks for coming." She hugged him tightly. "You can stay with us for the night."

"No. Thank YOU." He smiled. They laughed and headed into town. Since it was already after dusk, they had nothing else to do but head back to Rose's place for the night.

He just hoped her child wouldn't keep him awake throughout the night. He laughed silently. Somehow, he's a light sleeper. He wasn't like that before though, he used to sleep through anything.

The next morning, Alphonse woke up earlier than anyone in town. He was right, the child was just crying through the night. He couldn't sleep at all. He didn't mention this to Rose because that would be just rude.

"It'd be nice to take a stroll in the desert first." He packed his water bottle and headed into the desert.

After several minutes, he knew he's gone too far and had nothing to drink. He finished every last drop of water. He was thirsty and he knew he had to do something he's been practicing since the day he got to Resembool.

He used Alchemy.

He created a well from the desert sand alone and water came pouring out of it like a waterfall. He just smiled and looked up at the glaring sun.

He enjoyed this but he knew any minute now, Rose would be worried onto where he ran off to. After all, he forgot to leave a note.

"Silly me," He chuckled. "That was really stupid."

With that thought, he hurried back into the city of Lior.

--

"I'm sleepy." Amy yawned. It was still afternoon and the sun was still shining.

"Why? It's just 5 in the afternoon." Edward said, looking at his pocket watch then facing her. He started up the engine of the car after that.

"Just because," She yawned once more and dozed off to sleep at the back seat of the car.

"What happened to her?" Alphonse asked Edward, looking at Amy from the front seat.

"I didn't do anything. She's been like this ever since we got here. When we were in Ametris, she used to sleep when she felt like it. And I'm talking about like after midnight or early morning. Not this early." He didn't take his eyes off the road.

"How're we gonna get her out of the car when we get there?" Alphonse asked.

"You gotta wake her up then." Edward said.

"Ed, you know how she is when she's cranky…" Alphonse said unsure of what Edward suggested.

"Alphonse, you are too much of a gentleman. You can just wake her, since she's still groggy, she'll be convinced of anything. Tell her that you're part of her dream and she'll act like it really is." Edward was really proud of his idea.

"If it's that simple, why don't you do it then?" Alphonse laughed.

"Are you kidding me? Even if she'll think it's a dream, once she sees me, she'll punch me again." He pointed to his aching cheek.

"Good point." They just laughed together.

--

He can hear Armstrong's speech even from afar.

But the next thing he heard weren't cheers, but screams. He hurried back, felt an earthquake and saw an opening in the ground and out came strange things in armored suits. They were moving as if there were actual people in them.

"What are they?" Alphonse said to himself, shocked over the portal-like opening and the things coming out of it.

"Oh no, if I don't do anything quick, everyone here's doomed. And those things are really moving quickly even if they're in suits of armor…" He was panicking already.

Option 1; get everyone out of the city as soon as possible.

"What good would that do? They'll just be headed to the desert. It's a long run to the next city and those things would just chase them through the desert."

Option 2, make a tornado.

"That's the best option for now," He ran towards them, standing near so that he can accurately take them all down.

In his palms were 2 gloves. One on each hand, each glove had an intricate design all inside one circle. Several figures and writings were in there.

He clapped both his hands together and violet sparkles appeared. He dropped his hands into the ground and a tornado suddenly appeared. It took down most of the armored guys but some were still remaining and approaching him quickly. They seemed to find who made the tornado.

He clapped his hands once more and now put them on an armored body that was nearest to him. It changed sides, this time, it was on his side and they were both fighting against the rest of the armors that were still standing and moving towards them.

"Kinda looks like Ed and Al fighting side by side, don't you think Rose?" Major Armstrong was just watching by the sidelines, with Rose by his side, confident that Alphonse could do this without anyone's help.

"Yea, it sure does." Rose replied sadly, watching them in battle.

--

It was 7 in the evening when they arrived back at their apartment. It was a long drive and Ed always took wrong turns so they got lost most of the time. Good thing for Amy though, she slept for 2 hours straight, never waking up even once.

"Amy?" Alphonse shook her shoulder once and she moved a bit.

"Yes?" She replied faintly with a smile on her face. "What's wrong Alphonse?" She might be still dreaming.

"We gotta go into the apartment. You don't have to eat dinner if you don't want to. You can just head back to sleep." He told her softly, in an almost whisper.

"Okay. I'm awake now." She stretched a bit, but was still groggy as they ascended the stairs to their place.

"Goodnight," She waved as she headed straight to the couch, lay down and slept. Again.

"Amy, that's not the place to –" Edward started saying. "Awh, nevermind."

Edward got a blanket from his room and placed it over Amy. He took one last look and both he and Alphonse decided to call it a night and head into their separate rooms.

"I'm sure. Her neck's gonna be stiff tomorrow." Edward laughed.

The following morning, Amy woke up from the smell of breakfast.

"Good morning Amy," Alphonse greeted, seeing Amy looking at him from the couch.

"Morning" She got out of bed and looked at the blanket.

"This isn't mine…" She said uncertainly.

"Yea, that's Edward's. He put that over you when you fell asleep on the couch last night." Alphonse closed the stove and put the eggs and sausages he made on the table.

"Aw, that was sweet. Where is he?"

"He's downstairs right now. He's getting the engine running, he's gonna drive me to the carnival. He's also gonna stay there until we finish as well." He took out his apron and Amy could see that he was already dressed for work.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" Amy asked, pointing to the table.

"Nah, I made those for you." He smiled and headed to the door. "Have a great day with Gracia today. Bye!"

"Yummo," She thought, looking at what Alphonse made for her. "I'd worry about my working hours later." And with that, she dove into her breakfast. Every once in a while, looking out the window if they got back already. She knew they would probably be back at night but she can't help looking out so often. She smiled to herself after she ate breakfast, washed the dishes and dressed up to go to work.

--

"That's the last of it," an officer informed Major Armstrong as him and the other military personnel there helped out pack the armored men together in one big pile.

"Al? You haven't given up on searching for Ed right?" Rose asked Al while he was playing with some of the children.

He sighed and looked at her straight in the eye.

"No matter what, I will never give up on Brother." He smiled a bit.

Just then, another portal opened this time on top of where the armors were piled on.

A purple light appeared and the portal was suddenly sucking the armors into it.

"Oh no," He thought. "This might be the portal to the other world Ed is in. I _have_ to follow them!"

He ran as quickly as he can and grabbed hold of one of the few armored suits remaining. He held on for dear life until he felt someone pull him down.

"Al if you don't let go you'll be sucked in too!" Rose was pulling and pulling until Alphonse wasn't able to hold on much longer.

They both fell on the floor and Al couldn't do anything but watch as the portal closed.

--

"Why hello Gracia," Amy called out, waving at her employer. "Thanks again for letting me work here for the meantime…"

"You are very welcome Amy; after all, I do need the help. Some times during this season, people just come in and out buying flowers for the ones they love." She was really joyful that she had company instead of just being surrounded by the plants.

"And I don't need to be paid. It's perfectly fine." Amy said, grabbing an apron from the rack and tying it around her waist.

"Don't be ridiculous. I'll still be paying you don't worry."

"Okay," Amy said in a sing-song voice. "But just remember, I'm staying until the evening." She was now washing her hands at a nearby sink.

"That'd be fabulous. You'll keep me company. But just remember, we close at 6." And with that, Gracia went into the back room.

"Aw. I gotta wait for them." Amy sighed. "At least I'll be cooking dinner. Or maybe we can eat out! As I promised Ed, I'd pay for it today." She smiled to herself then headed to the back of the room to ask Gracia what she can do now.

--

"Help, please help me!" a gypsy said, breathlessly as she ran through the crowd to find someone who can probably help her lose the guys who were chasing her.

"Ha. You just probably stole something from some one again." She heard someone say.

"Good thing too that you're being chased," She heard another woman say.

"Why do they say these things?" She thought to herself sadly. "I'm not really a bad person!"

She was losing her breath already. She couldn't run much longer. Luckily, she found a place where she can probably hide. She saw a truck-like car, and saw that the back has a cloth draped over something. No one can find her now. She got in and covered herself with the cloth and waited.

"Aha!" a man said, taking out the cloth to reveal the gypsy curled up inside.

"Please don't!" She said, pulling her arm away from the man who was trying to take her.

"Stop it!" She heard someone from the back say. "Let her go!"

He looked a bit younger than her. He had blonde hair tied into a ponytail and was just standing right in front of them.

"We made a deal, she's ours now." The man said, tightening his grip on the gypsy girl.

"No, I never agreed to this," She pleaded. "Please help me!" She cried out.

"I said let her go!" He now ran towards the man and attacked him.

"Get off of me!" He said, pushing away the blonde.

"I didn't want to do this but you leave me no choice," The blonde said, pulling up one of his sleeve to show a prosthetic arm.

"Wow," She thought. "I've never seen anything like that before."

--

Amy sighed to herself, she's finished working with Gracia and it's about 6:30 in the evening. She checked the clock again and looked out the window.

She suddenly heard a knock on the door and got excited. She was kind of starving as well since she forgot all about eating lunch when she was working. She laughed to herself about that.

She opened the door to the apartment and saw Alphonse standing right there.

"Hi there," He greeted as he entered, put his coat on the rack and shut the door. "How was today?"

"It was fun. One customer couldn't make up his mind. We had to persuade him and it took about 30 minutes until he bought something." She laughed, still looking out the door.

"Who are you looking for?" Alphonse sat down and looked at her.

"I was looking for Edward, have you seen him? Wasn't he with you?" She asked, taking a seat beside Alphonse.

"I kind of lost him somewhere in the carnival. He left when we were just about to start. I just took a ride with one of my co-workers."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know." She laughed. "I didn't even cook anything, I was actually planning for us to all go and eat out."

"Maybe the two of us can still do that," He ushered towards the door. "Edward can just stay in here and wait for us while we're gone."

Amy just smiled. They closed the lights, locked the door and went out to eat dinner together.


	4. On My Way to Your Heart

Chapter 4: On my Way to your Heart

Chapter 4: On my Way to your Heart

"Alright, where do you live?" Edward asked, out of breath as he and the gypsy girl were running away from the men who were chasing her.

"I… don't have a place to live in. I'm a nomad." She said, following him.

Edward just looked at her, confused and decided that she should just go back with him to the apartment. Hopefully Alphonse and Amy would accept her the way she is. He can't do anything more for her.

--

"I haven't been to this place yet," Amy said, looking around at the restaurant Alphonse brought her to. It was much nearer to their place so she agreed to come here instead of the usual place she goes to.

"You sure you haven't been here yet?" Alphonse looked at her skeptically. "Edward and I always come here. He loves the food here, plus it's really cheap."

"Ja, well, you know him. Edward's always cheap." She just laughed silently.

They found a table outside. It was kind of chilly at that time of night but they couldn't care less. They actually like the cold weather.

"So, what would do you suggest?" Amy asked, once given each a menu.

"Here," Alphonse pointed to his menu.

He showed her which items were good, which were too awful to describe, items with good prices and ones with shocking prices.

They ordered what they decided on. Alphonse with his usual meal and Amy with something she couldn't pronounce.

They were just given glasses of water. At first, they were just silent, letting the slight breeze blow through their hair.

"Do you miss your friends?" Alphonse suddenly said, breaking the silence.

"Huh?" At first she didn't understand but then she suddenly knew what he was talking about. "You mean the ones from Ametris?"

He just nodded and looked intently at her.

"Actually I do… Sometimes when I'm all alone, I just close my eyes and think about the past. Those were great times. The time I decided to join the Elrics find the stone was kind of random. But during the time I've spent with them over the months, I realized that was the most fun I've ever had in my life. All the chasing… the adventures… the finding of places we never knew existed…" She sighed.

"You sound like you really enjoyed it." Alphonse laughed.

"I did." She sighed dreamily. "I really did."

"Did you have other friends aside from Edward and his brother?"

"I actually had some other friends before I met them." She looked over at the cars driving by in the street.

"Who were they?" Their food came but none of them started eating yet.

"Um… They were just teenagers practicing alchemy, same as Edward. But all the time I was with them, I only felt like an apprentice more than a friend to them."

"That's kind of harsh, don't you think?"

"Oh, don't get me wrong though. They gave me a place to stay and they agreed to let me learn from their alchemy. They were pretty good but I think Edward's way better." She just fiddled her food with a fork.

"Okay," That was all Alphonse said, getting started on his food as well.

"You don't believe me do you?" She smiled.

"No! I mean, of course I do! It's just that—"

"It's just that it's kind of hard to believe these kinds of stories right?" She looked over at him.

"Well… Not quite."

"Then what is it?" She asked, being real pushy.

"It's just that, you and Edward always say something about a parallel universe called Ametris…"

"Okay… so in other words, you don't believe me?"

"I believe all those things really did happen to you. Don't worry, I trust you anyways." He said, reaching out and squeezing her left hand a bit making her blush a teensy bit.

--

"Where the heck…" Edward muttered to himself silently, looking around at the dark, empty apartment.

"Do other people live with you as well?" Noa was the name of this gypsy girl. She introduced herself a bit when they stopped and rested a bit at a nearby park before heading here.

"Yes… But I don't know where they went now…" He said, taking off his coat and putting it in the coat rack.

Noa just looked around the whole place, taking in the whole scenery. It was really nice for the man to take her in and not mind that she was a gypsy. No one has ever done that for her.

"I'm thinking they went out for dinner." He said, looking at the clean stove and unmade dining table. He suddenly looked over at her. "Oh… I forgot about… your clothes." He said, looking at her.

She just nodded silently.

"Okay, I'll just leave a note here before we head to sleep. And don't worry, there's an extra room for you to stay in." He ushered her into the rooms and showed her to a small guestroom right beside Amy's.

He scribbled some words on a small piece of paper he tore from his notebook and left in on the table. Noa wasn't able to see what he wrote but didn't mind it and instead went to follow Edward to her room. She closed the door and made her bed. She closed the lights and headed to sleep. While she lay wide awake on the bed, she heard someone turn a key in, opening the door and hearing the wood on the floor creaking lightly indicating that people were coming in.

"He's asleep I think." She heard a girl's voice say in an almost whisper.

"I can't believe it. He didn't even eat dinner." Another person said, this time a guy, laughing.

"_Oh, dinner,"_ Noa thought, suddenly remembering her appetite, she was kind of hungry and she could swear she heard her stomach grumble a bit.

She continued listening to the people conversing outside since the wood on the door was thin. She just listened until she fell asleep.

"Hey, what's this?" Amy said, holding up a piece of paper on the dining table after she placed her coat back on the rack.

"It's in Edward's handwriting," Alphonse said, tugging lightly on the paper until Amy gave it to him. "It says: _Amy and Alphonse, you guys probably went out and had fun on your little dinner date.. Lucky for you guys I couldn't stay awake much longer to bother you about take-out. Anyways, there's someone living with us for just a short time. Please bear with her, she's being chased and has no place to stay. I gave her the room right beside Amy's and I think she's asleep as well. She doesn't have any extra clothes with her right now so can she probably borrow some of Amy's? Or maybe even Gracia? I don't know. I'll tell you guys more about it tomorrow. I'll be up at 8AM, just saying._"

"Ha, _date_." Amy said, stressing on the word "date".

"There's someone living with us? This must be serious. Edward's never taken in any woman before." Alphonse snickered.

"Cute," She said, heading to her room. "I'm off to bed. Goodnight Alphonse." She smiled.

"G'night." He just sat on the dining table and read the note over and over again until he decided to head off to bed as well.

Amy and Alphonse already dressed the next morning and just talking on the couch.

"It would be nice to have someone else here." Alphonse smiled. "You probably don't mind do you?"

"I don't." Amy said, tilting her head a bit and looking at what Alphonse would say.

"I don't mind either," He smiled.

"Alright, what about the 'clothes' part here?" Alphonse asked, pointing to it.

"Already covered," Amy smiled, pointing to herself.

He smirked and continued reading the morning paper.

"So," Amy said, playing a bit with Alphonse's blonde hair. "What do you want for breakfast? I feel like cooking something."

He looked up from the newspaper he was reading and grinned. "You know my favorite."

"Obviously," She stood up from the couch and started making breakfast.

Noa awoke to the aroma of brewing coffee and cooked eggs and sausages. She smiled to herself. She hasn't eaten for more than 8 hours and she was starving. She took a peep from the door and saw 2 people. One brunette girl and one blonde guy, they were just chatting while the brunette was cooking the breakfast. Unfortunately though for her, the door was extremely creaky and the 2 of them immediately turned their heads to her.

"Hi! G'morning," Amy said with a smile. Turning the stove off, and wiping her hands quickly on her apron that was wrapped around her waist.

"Um," Noa wasn't sure to say.

"It's alright," Alphonse said. "Come on, time for breakfast."

Noa reluctantly opened the door, and headed towards them and sat on an empty seat on the dining table.

"I'm Amy and this is Alphonse," Amy said, introducing herself and Alphonse to Noa.

"Hello," Noa smiled. "I'm Noa." She said, holding out her right hand for Amy to shake.

Amy shook her hand and transferred the food she just cooked into plates.

"Help yourself to the food." She said with a smile as she placed them on the table. She handed them each a cup of coffee together with that.

"I, um, thank you." Noa was really pleased. They were real hospitable to her. They didn't mind her race. She was new to this thing but she really enjoyed it. She smiled to herself and got the amount of food she knows she can finish.

"Come and take a sit beside me?" Noa offered, looking at Amy who was removing her apron and cleaning the stove.

"Alright, I'll just get something from my room." She hung the apron over one chair and went straight to her room. They could hear that she was ruffling through her closet.

"_Most probably for the clothes Noa will use." _Alphonse thought.

"Is it really ok?" Noa asked, looking at Alphonse who was sitting opposite her.

"It can't be helped if you're being chased." He smiled. "I'm kind of glad as well."

"Huh?"

"Edward's never taken interest in a woman before, aside from Amy." He put down his fork and stopped eating. "That person is really indifferent towards others."

Noa just nodded in response and looked up when Amy came back with a heap of clothes on her arms.

"Have you finished eating Noa?" She asked with a smile.

"Uh, yes, do you want help with that?" Noa asked, standing up and holding out her hands.

"Actually I do, these are gonna be your clothes," Amy laughed. "Edward asked about it. I'm going to ask Gracia for some others but these will do fine for the meantime since we have almost the same size." She grinned.

"Ah, thank you!" Noa said, her smile reaching from cheek to cheek with so much delight from the continuous blessings the blonde, Edward, brought to her.

"Don't mention it!" Amy said, letting it all go.

When Noa went back into her room and changed into some thing she was just given, Amy sat on the chair Noa was just on.

She let out a huge sigh.

"That sure was heavy." She said, eating her breakfast.

"Are you sure you still have some clothes in your closet? You might have given everything to her." Alphonse looked at her curiously. "And by the way, that was extremely gracious."

"Of course I still have stuff there." She laughed. "And thanks."

Noa got out of her room and stood beside Amy.

"That looks real good on you!" She said, looking at the dress she let her borrow. "Well Noa, we're headed out today. Edward's still asleep. Help yourself to anything you might need." Amy smiled, getting her coat and handing Alphonse his.

"Thank you Miss Amy," She bowed slightly.

"You don't have to be so formal, we're just equal. Okay?" She grinned.

"Alright then, good bye, see you later!" Alphonse waved. "We've got our own place to hold our project on now."

"He's just so happy about it. Don't mind it if he repeats it over and over again." Amy said, pushing Alphonse out of the door.

Noa just laughed and locked the door when they left.

"Are you okay with that?" Noa asked, looking at Edward on his bed, connecting his prosthetic arm and leg when he was awake.

"Ya, don't worry." He laughed. "I'm used to this already."

"It's amazing. How does it work?" Noa asked curiously.

"Well, even if I lost my limbs, when I connect it over here, it sends signals to my nerves, and that's why I can move it like this," He demonstrated, moving his toes slowly. "To tell you the truth, I'm not that sure myself; my father designed this for me."

"Oh," was all Noa said as she stood on the door to his room waiting for him to finish.

"Alphonse, wait up! You're too fast." Amy said, almost breathless from catching up with him.

"Well you're too slow!" He joked. "I'm just kidding, come on." He stopped, once he saw Amy pout.

"Eh. You're always playing." She laughed, not minding that he put his shoulder around her. "I don't know how you even got this job in the first place with that attitude."

"Hm, one reason is that I enjoy doing this. Another is that…"

"What?" Amy looked up when he didn't continue after a while.

"I don't know… I just want to leave a mark in this world you know? Like knowing that I've accomplished something important before I die."

"Alphonse?" She was becoming worried now. "Stop talking like that… It's scaring me a bit." She uttered.

"I-I'm sorry," He laughed, getting back to reality. "I don't know what came over me."

"Just tell yourself that will never happen, okay?"

"Okay, now come on, you better catch up to me if you don't want to be late." He said, running ahead of her.

"Oh come on," She groaned. She hated running, this is probably why he always does this to her whenever she decides to accompany him to work since it was her day-off at Gracia's.

"An armored man… was walking right beside you." Noa suddenly said, as both of them stopped somewhere in the middle of the stairs. "And a sweet smile, maybe your mother's."

Edward didn't respond to any of that.

"And a beautiful village surrounded by grassland." She said quietly. "You said it was unscientific, but that's what I saw…"

"Is this place a hell given to me?" He sighed. "See, my brother died in an accident before, and ever though, I just know he's alive somewhere. I just have to find him…"

They dismissed the topic and headed down, but first passing by Gracia's Flower Shop.

"Hi Edward, Noa," She nodded towards them.

"Good morning Gracia, ah, thank you again for some of the clothes you sent up for Noa." Edward thanked.

She just laughed a bit. "Don't even mention it Edward, now stop looking so glum and be on your way now, and be careful."

Edward just nodded in response.

They were heading to Professor Haushofer's villa were he agreed to hold the project.

Before they could enter though, they had to pass by guards first.

"Name?" One of them asked sternly, looking closely as if he were studying them.

"Alphonse Heiderich." Alphonse said.

"And you Miss?" The guard asked, looking intently at Amy.

"Amett Frejderick." She smiled, copying the funny accent her dad has whenever he says their last name.

"Alright, you may pass." He said, checking their names in a clipboard.

"I always found your first name to be unique," Alphonse smiled, looking over at Amy.

"Yea, blame my parents. They said they named me after Ametris, which is so weird." She laughed. "That's an awful lot of security for a professor's villa. Should I be suspicious?"

"Um… I'm not so sure myself," He said, holding out the door for Amy to pass through ahead of him.

"Ed," Officer Hughes called him over once he saw him with a gypsy girl.

He put his shoulders around Edward and whispered.

"So, the rumors are true that you've been living with a gypsy girl."

"Ya, I have my reasons."

"Just be careful around gypsies." Officer Hughes said, standing upright now and facing him seriously. "They're wanderers. They play around men and steal their wallets."

"I'm a wanderer too." Edward pointed out, a bit mad from what Officer Hughes said.

"I'm just saying."

"Yea anyways, why don't you stop worrying about me and confess to Gracia already." He grabbed Noa's hand and left. "I think it'll go well."

He knew he hit the spot from the way the officer looked.

"St-Stop minding adults' business!" Was all Hughes could think of saying.

"Amett!" John, one of the co-workers of Alphonse, called out once he saw them enter.

"Hi!" She smiled, going over and hugging him tightly. Amy met John about a year ago, they were just 2 years apart in age but John became really close to her. He was kind of like an older brother to her. She never saw him for months and she missed him.

"What about me?" Alphonse asked jokingly but shook hands with John instead.

"Glad to see you 'phonse." John laughed. "Got everything? We've all just been waiting for you."

"Yep. Here are some of the sketches you had me hold yesterday." He gave John sheets of paper that he was holding ever since a while ago.

"Perfect, alright." He turned to Amy. "Now what are you supposed to do here Amett?" He smiled.

"Oh, just don't mind me; I'll just be hanging around Alphonse for the rest of the day. I'll _try _to not disturb you guys." She winked.

"Now _that's_ impossible…" Alphonse mumbled when he followed John towards their work place. Amy just laughed in response.

Edward was clutching Noa's hand really tight like she was gonna leave him or something and led her through a shortcut to his doctor's place.

Noa suddenly stopped in her tracks.

"Come on, let's go," Edward was persuading her to continue walking.

"But…"

"You saw an armored person walking beside me right?" He smiled.

Noa just nodded her head.

"Then I believe you, just don't mind those guys."

She suddenly smiled.

"Whatcha doing?" Amy asked, looking over at what Alphonse was doing.

"Uh… fixing something?" He pointed to a part in the machine he was working on.

"Can I help?"

"It's alright, you'll stain your hand," He said, showing her his left palm almost covered with probably oil or grease from the machine.

"Okay, nevermind…" Amy then left his side and headed down to sit somewhere.

"I doubt that you'll stain your hand." John laughed. He probably heard what they were just talking about.

"I just don't want her to get her clothes dirty…" Alphonse smiled, turning his attention back at the part he was working on.

"You like her, don't you?" John smirked.

He suddenly dropped something he was holding.

"Um…" He picked it up. "No comment."

"O…kay," John said playfully and left his side.

Once he left, Alphonse looked down at Amy. He had this weird feeling in his stomach.

"Oh god…" He muttered.

The same thing happened at Edward's doctor. A patient called Noa something bad again. They just left and decided to eat somewhere where he knew they wouldn't be bothered about those stuff again.

Edward gave Noa her chowder and began to eat his.

"I'm really sorry about that… I don't know why people here are like that…" He sighed.

"It's alright, I'm used to it." She reassured. "It's my ancestors' fault for saying they were Egyptian in the first place."

"What do you refer to yourselves then?" Edward was really curious.

"Roma."

"Roma?"

"It means human." She smiled.


	5. Surprises

Chapter 5:

Chapter 5: Surprises.

"Edward just left you?" Amy asked Noa with a shocked expression on her face. "Like, just in the middle of the street?!"

"Well… yea. He just gave me his lunch and ran towards somewhere. I'm not really sure." Noa responded. "So I decided to head back here…"

"I can't believe that guy!" Amy said, getting mad.

"Maybe he had to do something?" Alphonse suggested.

"Maybe…" Noa said quietly.

"But still! That was so irresponsible of him! He just left her in the middle of nowhere." Amy said. "Ooh. When he gets back…"

"No no, it's alright Amy, maybe he really didn't mean to do it." Noa was trying to get Edward out of trouble. "Because before he suddenly took off, he had this shocked expression on his face, like he saw someone he knew."

"Did you see who he was looking at?" Alphonse asked.

"Yea, sort of, I think he was a rich Jew. He had black hair and you can't really see his eyes though."

"I don't know anyone like that…" Amy mumbled.

"Let's just let it go, when he comes back later in the evening, he might tell us what he did." Alphonse smiled. "After all, it's just 5 in the afternoon."

"Alright…" Amy agreed. "So Noa, what do you want to do now?"

"Huh? Me?"

"Yea, you want to go shopping?" Amy was smiling widely.

"Oh no…" Alphonse mumbled. "I'll just stay here."

"Okay?" Noa was hiding her extreme joy. She never had a friend like Amy before. She was really something. "But I don't have any money."

"Don't you worry about that, I'll pay for it. Now come on!" She pulled Noa out to the door. "See you later Alphonse!" She called out. "We'll be back by dinner!"

Alphonse looked out the window and saw them running like little girls running to an ice cream truck. "Women and shopping," He laughed.

He looked in the refrigerator and saw that they were lacking some supplies as well.

"Might as well go to the grocery," He took out a piece of paper and started writing down the food he needed to buy.

Once he finished, he got his coat, switched off the lights and locked the door.

"King Bradley…" Edward said with disgust in his tone of voice once he set the driver he just knocked out somewhere in the front seat.

"King?" The man said, looking at Edward in confusion.

"Don't play dumb with me…" He said. "Wait a minute…" He was looking into the man's eye. He didn't have a symbol on his left eye…

"I'm sorry sir…" Edward sighed. "I thought you were someone else…"

"It's alright. I'm used to these things." The man said, facing forward. "Since I'm a rich Jew, most people try to steal from me."

"Oh."

"Okay now son," He said, referring to Edward. "Can you drive?"

"Um, in a way." Edward nodded.

"Perfect, now, I'm going to ask you to drive me to my destination. At least, until he wakes up." The man said, referring to the driver Edward knocked down, trying to get to the man he thought was King Bradley, the Fuhrer, and a homunculus from his world.

"She said there was nothing she could teach Al anymore and told him to leave… She didn't want him to see." Sig, the husband of Izumi informed Winry when she visited them that afternoon.

"I see… and Al? He still hasn't given up on finding Ed?" Winry asked.

"Not at all, he's convinced that Ed is alive somehow. He says he has these dreams," Winry looked up. "Where in he's 17 and he coughs the way Izumi does. And he's with Edward, building machines that fly up in space."

Winry decided to go to the cemetery where Izumi was buried and paid her a visit.

"Take good care of them," She remembered Izumi say to her before she died.

She saw Wrath at somewhere by the trees behind Izumi's grave stone. Maybe he spent the night there.

"Looks like someone needs some maintenance, come on, let me help." She held out her hand to him.

"I can't believe the inflation rate already." Amy said, holding 2 bags full of clothes, both hers and Noa's.

"Yea… I promise Amy, when I get the money, I'm going to pay for whatever you bought for me." Noa said, carrying 1 bag.

"No, I insist. Everything I bought is on me." She smiled. "Don't bother paying."

"If you insist…"

They were soon in Gracia's shop.

"Hey there Gracia," Amy smiled at her.

"Why hello girls, how was your day?" Gracia said, spotting their bags. "I bet it was productive." She laughed.

"I guess?" Amy and Noa both laughed.

"You need any help?" Noa asked.

"Um, maybe a bit,"

"Alright Gracia, we'll just bring these upstairs then we'll come back down okay?" Amy said. "Be back in a minute!"

Noa was the fist to head down.

"But why? You think there's going to be another war?" She asked.

"I don't know…" Gracia responded. "I certainly hope not. But there's a lot of talk now. But if it did happen, god forbid, your people would be in danger. There are men saying that they want to reshape the country, so it's just authentic Germans and kick out everyone else."

Officer Hughes then appeared in the door.

"Officer?" Gracia asked.

"What were you telling her about?" He asked.

"Um, nothing much…" She said. "What's wrong? You look so serious."

"Just doing my job to keep the streets safe, you never know what these gypsies are planning."

Gracia nodded to Noa, indicating to go to the back room.

"I can say the same for you and your friends at the beer hall." She said. "You're scheming about things everyday!"

Hughes didn't expect her to say that. Let alone know about what's been happening.

"Please Hughes, she's a vulnerable girl. Can't you keep her safe?"

Noa was just listening from the back room. Amy suddenly came down and saw Noa with a sad face.

"What's wrong?" She whispered, touching Noa's right shoulder.

"Nothing," Noa smiled, handing her a pot of flowers she was holding ever since a while ago.

Amy then went outside and saw Officer Hughes and Gracia outside.

"Why hello Officer Hughes," She smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, hello Amy," He responded. "Nothing really, just checking around," He didn't want her to know about these. He always treats Amy like his own daughter and didn't want her to be harmed. She shouldn't know anything about this.

"Hi Alphonse," Amy smiled, while Noa and herself were eating dinner that night. "I thought you were just staying home."

"Nah, I decided to buy groceries." He put down 3 bags of groceries he carried on his own. "So, has Ed come back yet?"

"Yea, but he was too tired, I didn't want to bother him anymore so I just let him sleep." Amy said. "I'll tell him tomorrow, he just got a slice of bread and brought it to his room."

"Okay," He smiled. "What's for dinner?"

When they finished eating dinner, Alphonse kindly asked Noa if he could speak with Amy alone. Noa agreed and headed to her room for the night.

"Amett… There's something I need to tell you…"

"Uh-oh, you used my real name. This must be serious. What's wrong?" Amy asked, looking curiously at him.

"It's something I've wanted to tell you ever since before but I couldn't… And, I want to tell you now so that I can actually get some sleep tonight." He looked at her and grabbed her left hand with his both hands. He held it tightly and didn't want to let go. He then looked into her eyes.

"Uh…" Amy was dumbfounded. What could he possibly tell her that's this important?

"Amett Frejderick, I think I'm in love with you."

"Really?" She was smiling like a kid getting a party for her birthday.

"Yes." He looked down.

She suddenly hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear.

"I think I'm in love with you too." She laughed.

The next morning, Amy was still asleep. This time, Noa wanted to ask Alphonse about what the whole war was about. She decided when they were eating breakfast that that was a good time to ask him.

"It was a betrayal. Germany still had a real chance to win the war. The government just gave up, stabbing us in the back. And then the Treaty of Versailles was a complete humiliation. There are a lot of people who think that we should just overthrow the government and regain Germany's pride." He said, looking up at Noa.

"Tell me Alphonse, do you happen to work for the people who think those sorts of things?" She asked.

"I just want to build rockets. Nothing more," He said, finishing up his breakfast.

"So where's Ed? Did he say something about going to the University?" Alphonse asked.

"Yea, he said he was looking for someone."

"Professor Haushofer's lectures are all cancelled." A girl was telling Edward. "He's at his villa I think. Rumor has it he's too busy with the Thule society now."

"Thule society?" Edward asked.

"Yea, you haven't heard of it?" She asked.

"Thule's a mystical island in the North that was written about in ancient mythology." A man said, informing Edward.

"The Thule society wants to harness the power of the gods who dwell in the island and reclaim the destiny of the Aryan race." Another man said.

Edward just didn't believe in any of that nonsense but decided to check out the professor's villa instead.

He decided to sneak from the back. He hid in one of the bushes and saw several guards talking to one another.

"Ancient gods, the Occult, how are they gonna save their country with a myth?" He mumbled. "Damn it, there sure are a lot of guards at a professor's place."

He looked around for a nearby entrance and found a broken window pane right on top of him. He decided to get in since he was small enough to fit in it.

He fit in perfectly but scratched a part of his left cheek trying to get in.

He looked inside, no one was there. Perfect. He saw an opening that showed all the rockets covered up in cloth.

"Those rockets, don't tell me these are Alphonse's sponsors."

He went further in and found a cylindrical brown room full of designs written on the floor.

He bent down and studied the drawings on the floor.

"Looks like some kind of sorcery diagram." He stood up. "Probably for sacrificing virgins and summoning demons inside the earth."

He grinned. "These guys are hopeless." He continued to walk around to check it out more.

"Hold on, that's no spell…" He said. "It's alchemy." He looked down.

"But why, alchemy's not supposed to work in this side of the gate." He looked around. "But the circle's not done, it's worn down."

He spotted a piece of chalk and darkened some of the lines and filled some empty spots.

Once he finished, he got up and checked his work.

"What am I doing this for?" He chuckled. "Finished or not, it won't make a difference. Guess I'm just a sucker for nostalgia."

Still, having that in mind, he wanted to find out what would happen if he was on his knees and bringing down two of his hands and placing them in the circle's edge.

There was suddenly a blue light that appeared and a voice coming from somewhere on top.

"Still as arrogant as before, aren't you pipsqueak?" He'd recognize that voice anywhere.

"Envy!"

He looked up, and saw a purple light, and then several pieces of armor suddenly fell down.

"What's going on here? I didn't do any of this." He said to himself.

Several people suddenly came in from the back and stared from the armored bodies lying on the circle to him.

"What the hell…"

"Don't move!" One person commanded.

"Why did the portal reopen now?" One other person asked. "We've never been able to open it up no matter what we tried."

"Did they come back to us…?" Professor Haushofer asked. "From Shamballa?"

"What did you say?" Edward suddenly asked.

Someone suddenly punched him in the face.

"We'll ask the questions. What have you done?!" He said.

The professor then ordered the others to seek them out to see if they are okay.

"Any survivors?" One asked.

His partner just shook his head.

"Is this your doing boy?" The man who punched Ed asked.

Edward didn't bother responding to him and this got him mad. He grabbed Ed's shirt and was about to do something when a voice came.

"In the hollow earth lies a vast underground kingdom. Far greater than any civilization that surfaces known in modern times. A utopia without war or illness, suffering or hate. The wisdom of its inhabitants promises absolute peace while the mystical power of its army promises victory in mankind's final war." A woman suddenly appeared and all eyes were on her.

"The road to Shamballa is difficult. It seems your hypothesis was correct professor," She said, turning to Haushofer.

"Lucky guess, Chairman," He said. "This is the boy I was telling you about."

"Hello Edward Elric," She said, turning to him now. "Your father was once part of our society and still helps today."

"I don't know where he is and what he told you, lady."

"My name is Belinda Eckhart, thank you."

"Thule Island, kingdom of Shamballa, you people seem to be obsessed with any world but this one." Edward said.

"Yes, we have that in common." She smiled.

Edward suddenly felt a gun being pointed at him.

"Stop it Hess," Haushofer said. "The plans of Germany are in motion."

"What if this boy tells our secrets to Berlin?" Hess said, triggering the gun.

Edward used his prosthetic hand to cover up the gunshot from hitting him. He then dove into the armored bodies where he could probably hide.

"Stop it! We may need him!" Haushofer said, but still, Hess kept on shooting.

Edward suddenly stopped and turned right. He saw one of the armored bodies moving.

"Brother?" It said.

"Brother!" He tossed all the armored bodies away and hugged Edward tightly.

"I can't believe it! Are you okay? It's been so long! I missed you!" Alphonse Elric said.

"Ugh! I can't breathe!!" Edward shouted.

"Huh? But you changed!" He let go of Edward. "You're taller now!"

"Al…" He looked up. "What you'd still think I'd be a runt even when I'm 18 years old?!" He said, hitting Alphonse making his head fall off.

"The suit's empty!" Haushofer told Eckhart.

"But that's impossible."

"I don't know… It could be some sort of alchemy perhaps…"

"Don't you see? Possessed by a demon! Fire!" Hess ordered. Both of them then hid again.

"They don't seem too happy… You haven't changed brother, you're still causing trouble."

"Save the lectures. We've got to get out of here." Edward said, looking around.

He jumped on Alphonse's back and they just ran towards the door. He smashed the door open.

"Now what?" Al asked.

"Just run!" Ed instructed.

"Which way?!"

"Anywhere!"

"I don't know where I'm going!"

"It's better than getting shot!"

"What's with you Al?" Winry asked, looking down at a sleeping Alphonse Elric. "You finally get home and all you do is sleep." She laughed.

"Brother…" He mumbled.

Once they were not being chased anymore, Edward and Al sat somewhere in the grass.

"I dreamt of this place." Al said. "It's pretty. Are we in the gate?"

"No, we're in the other side." Edward said. "But nevermind that, I want to know why you got stuck in that armor again?"

"Again?" Al asked. "What do you mean? Oh. You attached my soul to this when my body was in the gate. Sorry brother, I don't remember any of that."

"Don't remember? What?"

"The last time I saw you was when we tried to bring Mother back. When I woke up, I was at Central and a girl named Rose was taking me home.

As confused as I was, I was convinced that you were alive somewhere. And that one day, we'd be together again."

"And now?"

"I wondered how they opened that portal. What'd they do to get—"

"Al?"

"Sorry Brother, the transmutation spell I used to transfer my soul doesn't last very long. Looks like I don't have any more time…"

"Al, don't leave yet! It's too soon!" Edward pleaded.

"Don't worry Brother; I think I know how to get you back now. The portal they used, I'll try to open it from my side." The armor suddenly dropped like there was nothing in it anymore.

"Edward!" Amy greeted, seeing him open the door that night.

"You're awfully late." Alphonse joked. "What's with the smirk? Something good happen?"

"Yea actually," He said. "You're probably not gonna believe this but I saw him tonight. I saw my brother Al," He took of his coat and hung it. "There's a chance that I'll be able to leave this world after all."

"What? You saw Al?" Amy said, smiling widely, but then noticing Alphonse's face, decided otherwise.

"Yea I did Amy,"

"Ed I need to tell you someth—"

The phone suddenly rang. Alphonse stood up to answer it but then Edward took the call.

"Wait a sec, Amy." He told her.

"Mabuza, what's going on?" Edward said.

"Mabuza?" Amy and Alphonse said at the same time.

"I understand you've been sniffing around General Haushofer's place."

"What, you part of their club?" He said.

"There's something I want to talk to you about. Meet me in Ufer in Berlin."

The line went dead.

"What the," He put the phone back. "Hey Alphonse, have you ever heard of Ufer?"

"Sure," Alphonse smiled.

"Amy, what was that you wanted to tell me?" He then turned to her.

"Maybe in private…" She whispered. "Can we take a walk perhaps?"

"Alright," They took their coats and headed downstairs and took a short walk.

"Well?" Edward asked. They've been walking for about 15 minutes already. "It's kind of chilly now, can you say it already?" He laughed.

"Okay, well… it's been about a week since we haven't talked and I have some very important news." She stopped walking and took a seat in a nearby bench. Edward soon followed her.

"Okay, what is it?" He softened his voice a bit.

"I went to the doctor a while ago, accompanied by Noa. And, the doctor said something that bothered me, at the same time, it clarified several things… like why my stomach hurts most of the time and I get headaches every now and then…"

"So this news you're telling me, Noa already knows?" Edward asked.

"Yes."

"Okay, go on."

"Edward, I think I'm having a baby." She said in an almost whisper.

"What?!" He shrieked. "How? When? Who?"

"Too many questions Edward…" She said, motioning him to lower his voice. "I'll answer it by order alright? First, yes. Second and thirdly, about 2 weeks ago. Fourth, Alphonse."

"Heiderich?" He asked.

"Who else? Why do you think I wanted to take a walk with you?" She looked down.

"Does he know?"

"No…" She started crying already.

"Wait, why are you crying?" Edward laughed, shaking her left shoulder.

"Because… I didn't want it to happen this way… and I don't know what he would say as well…"

"It's not your fault," He said, holding her close to him.

"Promise me you won't tell him?" She whispered.

"When should he know then?"

"I don't know yet… Maybe when I have enough courage to tell him," She said.

"Okay, I promise." He said, comforting her. "I promise."


End file.
